K-State extends Weber through 2021

Wednesday

Aug 2, 2017 at 2:10 AMAug 2, 2017 at 2:10 AM

By Kellis RobinettThe Wichita Eagle (TNS)

MANHATTAN — Not long after Kansas State announced a two-year contract extension for him on Tuesday, basketball coach Bruce Weber strolled off a plane in Florida ready to start a family vacation in the best of moods.

“I am just really happy,” Weber said via phone. “Myself, my wife, we love K-State. It has been a special time in our life and I really appreciate president (Richard) Myers and (athletic director) Gene (Taylor) giving me a vote of confidence. But the thing I am really happy most for is our program, for our players, for our coaches ... In today’s world of college athletics, the stability and longevity of college coaches is not always there.”

Weber no longer has to worry about that when he meets with future recruits. Taylor, K-State’s new athletic director, showed his support for Weber in the form of a new contract that will run through 2021. Weber’s $2.15 million salary for the upcoming season will remain unchanged under the new arrangement and increase by $100,000 each year he remains on the job. His $2.5 million buyout is also the same as his previous contract until April 30, 2019, but that number will drop considerably to $500,000 afterward.

It is a friendly contract for K-State, as it sends a positive message about Weber and his job security without increasing any of the key numbers in his previous contract.

“I don’t want everyone to focus on the buyout,” Taylor said at a meeting with reporters. “To me, it is more about the extension. I wanted to get to a place where I felt Bruce was comfortable and I was comfortable and we were committed to each other for the next four years. That is where we ended up.”

The contract extension was not well received by all K-State fans. Weber was thought to be on the hot seat as recently as February when the Wildcats slumped near the end of the conference season, and he remains unpopular with at least a segment of the K-State faithful.

Taylor said he expected some negative feedback and noticed it on social media Tuesday afternoon. But that didn’t bother him.

“I don’t know that it is a fan-base message as much as it is a program message, for Bruce and stability,” Taylor said. “He had two years left on his contract. Any coach I have been around, they always start saying, ‘Gene, I want to be able to tell recruits I am going to be here and I want to send a message to our recruits.’ That is really what it is about.”

Weber made a case for a new deal by engineering a late-season turnaround that got the Wildcats into the NCAA Tournament for the third time since he arrived in Manhattan in 2012. K-State finished 21-14 after beating Wake Forest in a NCAA Tournament play-in game and falling to Cincinnati in the first round. The Wildcats will try to build off that next season with returning starters Barry Brown, Kamau Stokes and Dean Wade leading the way.

“I was happy with our guys last year, and we have had a great summer,” Weber said. “I think they are ready to take a nice step and it is just a good thing to be able to move forward (with a contract extension). When you go out and recruit, when you go talk to parents of our players it is just a positive thing.”

It will be Weber’s sixth season with the Wildcats. His overall record is 100-68. He had his most success early, guiding K-State to a shared Big 12 championship and the NCAA Tournament in his debut season. He led the team back to 20 victories and the NCAA Tournament a year later, but missed the postseason entirely in 2015 and 2016.

“There are a lot of (athletic directors) in the country that would love to have a coach who has been here five years and been to three NCAA Tournaments,” Taylor said, “and won a Big 12 championship and runs the program the right way. His kids don’t get in trouble. There are a lot of great things that he does.”

Taylor said contract negotiations began organically. Weber never asked for one, but as they spoke in meetings and got to know each other Taylor decided an extension was warranted. Coach and athletic director both have goals of conference championships and NCAA Tournament runs. They think they can reach them together.

Though some will criticize the extension, Taylor thinks many more will applaud it.

“There are just as many people, probably more people, that support Bruce and want him to stay here and believe in what he is doing,” Taylor said. “Have I got some emails from people who want him to go? Absolutely, but that is what makes this place special. If we had a fan base that was apathetic and didn’t care I wouldn’t be here and we wouldn’t have the expectations we do ... At the end of the day, it is my job to put our program together in a position to be successful and I think Bruce can do that for us.

“I felt the time was good to show that I believe in Bruce and I believe in the program. We are in good shape.”